The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 11: This Seat Wants to Have Family, Joyful!

"It was me!" Mrs. Chen wept. "But I didn't write that spirit tablet! How could I curse my own child? I—"

"You can't write when you're awake, but that might not be the case when you're asleep."

As Chu Wanning spoke, he raised his hand and retrieved the spirit tablet. Channeling spiritual energy into his palm, the tablet suddenly burst forth with a distant, anguished scream, followed promptly by a thick, pungent stream of blood oozing from its surface.

Chu Wanning's eyes glinted with icy fury as he thundered, "Impudent beast, how dare you presume to act so boldly!"

With a surge of spiritual energy in his palm, the inscriptions on the tablet gradually faded and vanished amidst the shrill screams, turning dark until they were completely gone. Chu Wanning's slender, pale fingers clenched once more, shattering the entire plaque into dust!

The Chen family watched, stunned from behind. Not just them, even Shi Mo was astonished.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "How powerful."

Mo Ran also couldn't help but marvel inwardly at how fierce it was.

Chu Wanning turned half of his handsome and delicate face, showing no expression except for a few specks of blood that had sprayed onto his cheeks. He raised his hand to examine the traces of blood lingering on his fingertips and addressed the Chen family, "All of you stay in this courtyard today. Go nowhere else."

At that moment, they dared not defy him in the slightest and hastily replied, "Yes, yes! We'll follow everything you instruct!"

Chu Wanning strode out of the shrine, casually wiping away the bloodstains on his face. Pointing a finger at Madam Chen in mid-air, he said, "Especially you, you must not fall asleep. That thing will possess your body. No matter how exhausted you are, you must stay awake."

"Yes... Yes, yes, yes!" Madam Chen repeatedly agreed, tears welling up in her eyes as she asked in disbelief, "Venerable, is my son... is he... is he going to be alright?"

"For now," Chu Wanning replied.

Madam Chen was stunned. "For now? Not always? Then, then how can I ensure my son's life is saved?"

Chu Wanning answered, "By capturing the demon."

Madam Chen was extremely anxious and, therefore, couldn't help but be impolite. Ignoring formalities, she urgently asked, "When does Venerable plan to capture it?"

"Immediately."

As Chu Wanning spoke, he glanced at the Chen family and asked, "Does anyone know the exact location where the red coffin was initially dug up? Someone come forward and lead the way."

The eldest son's wife, surnamed Yao, was tall for a woman and had a somewhat heroic appearance. Although fear was etched on her face, she appeared more composed than the others. She promptly said, "That place was chosen by my late husband and me. I'm familiar with the location. Let me guide Venerable there."

The trio followed Madam Chen Yao northward and soon arrived at the land that the Chen family had purchased.

A security perimeter had been established there, with not a soul in sight. The dark hills were overgrown with vegetation, so quiet that even the chirping of insects or singing of birds were absent.

Upon reaching the halfway point up the mountain, their view opened up. Madam Chen Yao said, "This is it, sirs."

The spot where the red coffin was buried still had the tombstone meant to suppress evil spirits resting atop it. Upon seeing it, Mo Ran chuckled. "What use could this broken stone possibly have? Only an amateur would think of doing something like this. Let's move it."

Madam Chen Yao grew anxious. "The scholars in town said that with the evil beast suppressing it, the malevolent spirits inside wouldn't be able to escape."

Mo Ran forced a smile. "What a capable scholar."

"…" Madam Chen Yao replied, "M-Move it! Move it!"

Chu Wanning spoke coolly, "There's no need." Lifting his hand, golden sparks flickered from his fingertips. Heavenly Questions appeared in his palm at his call. With a swing of the willow vine, the tombstone shattered into fragments! Chu Wanning walked expressionlessly to the pile of rubble and raised his hand again, his voice solemn as he commanded, "Why hide? Rise for me!"

A creaking sound echoed from beneath the ground. Suddenly, a twelve-foot-tall wooden coffin burst forth, sending sand and mud cascading down and clouds of dust billowing up.

Shi Mo exclaimed, "This coffin exudes such strong malevolence!"

Chu Wanning said, "Step back."

With that, he slashed backward, and the sealed red coffin was struck by Tianwen, sparks flying in all directions. After a moment of silence, the coffin lid exploded with a bang, and dense smoke dissipated to reveal its contents.

Inside the coffin lay a naked man with a straight nose and handsome features. If it weren't for his skin as pale as paper, he would have appeared no different from someone sound asleep.

Mo Ran glanced at the man's waist and lower body before covering his eyes and exclaiming, "Oh dear, no undergarment, what a scoundrel."

Shi Mo: "..."

Chu Wanning: "..."

Madam Chen Yao gasped in shock. "My husband!" She rushed forward, intent on approaching the coffin. Chu Wanning extended his hand to intercept her, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "This is your husband?"

"Yes! It's my husband!" Madam Chen Yao was both startled and grief-stricken. "How can he be here? He was buried in the family graveyard, dressed in his funeral clothes. How could he...?"

Halfway through her words, the woman broke into sobs, pounding her chest and stomping her feet. "How could this happen?! So tragic—so tragic! Husband... Husband!!!"

His junior sister sighed. "Madam Chen, please restrain your sorrow."

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran paid no attention to the weeping woman. Chu Wanning was not skilled in comforting others, while Mo Ran was devoid of compassion. The two of them fixated on the corpse within the coffin.

Despite having experienced this in his previous life and thus being unsurprised by the turn of events, Mo Ran still put on an act of astonishment as he stroked his chin. "Shifu, something's off about this corpse."

Chu Wanning replied, "I'm aware."

"..."

Mo Ran had a barrage of words ready, phrases that Chu Wanning had analyzed with them in his past life, which he had intended to use to impress Chu Wanning in this lifetime. Yet, Chu Wanning casually dismissed him with a mere "I know."

Shouldn't a master be skilled in guiding their disciple, encouraging them to share their thoughts and rewarding their insights with praise?

Unwilling to accept this, Mo Ran pretended not to hear the "I don't know," and spoke up, "There are no signs of decay on this corpse. It's been over half a month since Young Master Chen met with his accident. Considering the current climate, the body should have already begun to rot and produce pus, with a layer of fluids accumulating inside the coffin. That's point one."

Chu Wanning gave him a cold glance, implying, "You may continue."

"Point two," Mo Ran persisted, reciting Chu Wanning's previous explanations from his past life, "Before opening the coffin, the crimson casket exuded a heavy malevolent aura. Yet, once it was opened, the aura dissipated. Moreover, the corpse itself carries an almost negligible amount of evil energy, which is also highly unusual."

Chu Wanning: "..."

"Thirdly, have you noticed that since the coffin was opened, there's been a sweet fragrance in the breeze?"

The scent was subtle, and one would hardly detect it unless they paid close attention. Only after Mo Ran mentioned it did Shi Mo and Madam Chen Yao become aware of the faint, pleasant aroma in the air.

Shi Mo commented, "Indeed."

As Madam Chen Yao continued to inhale, her expression shifted. "This scent..."

Shi Mo asked, "Madam Chen, what's wrong?"

With a trembling voice, Madam Chen Yao replied in fear, "This fragrance... it's my mother-in-law's exclusive Butterfly Fragrance Powder!"

For a moment, no one spoke, and the words "Established by Elder Chen Sunshi" on the prophetic spirit tablet in the shrine seemed to come to life again.

Shi Mo said, "Could it be... that this is really Madam Chen's doing?"

Mo Ran disagreed, "It doesn't seem so."

Chu Wanning chimed in, "No, it isn't."

Both men spoke almost simultaneously, and after they finished, they exchanged glances. Chu Wanning's face remained unperturbed as he said, "Go on."

Mo Ran, without any hesitation, replied, "As far as I know, the Chen family's wealth originated from Matriarch Chen's specially formulated Hundred Butterflies Fragrance Powder. Although the recipe is a closely guarded secret, it's not difficult to obtain the finished product. In Butterfly Town, at least five out of ten young women use this scent. Moreover, before we came here, we investigated and found that Young Master Chen seemed to be quite fond of his mother's Hundred Butterflies Fragrance Powder as well. He often mixed it into his bathwater, so it's not strange for him to carry this fragrance on his body. What's peculiar, however, is..."

He turned his head again to look at the naked man in the coffin.

"After being dead for half a month, this scent still smells as fresh as if it was just applied. Am I right, Shifu?"

Chu Wanning: "..."

"Compliment me if I'm right."

Chu Wanning: "Mm."

Mo Ran burst into laughter. "You really do cherish every word you say."

No sooner had he laughed twice when suddenly, Chu Wanning's robe fluttered, and he pulled Mo Ran back several feet. The golden glow of his Heavenly Question sword shone brightly as flames splashed around.

"Be careful."

The scent of the Hundred Butterfly Fragrance in the air suddenly intensified. As the aroma spread, a dense white fog emerged amidst the vegetation, enveloping the entire mountainside at an astonishing pace, turning it into a sea of mist that instantly swallowed everything within reach.

A flicker of realization sparked in Mo Ran's heart.

The illusion had begun.

"AH!!" Amidst the thick fog came Madam Chen Yao's terrified scream, "Sage, save—"

Before she could finish her plea, her voice abruptly ceased.

Chu Wanning's fingertips ignited with a blue glow as he placed a tracking charm on Mo Ran's forehead. "Be careful. I'll go see what's happening."

With that, he vanished swiftly into the mist, following the sound.

Mo Ran touched his forehead and chuckled softly. "Very well, you've even placed the charm in the same spot as before. Chu Wanning, you haven't changed a bit."

The fog arrived swiftly and dissipated just as fast. Before long, it was gone without a trace. However, the scene that unfolded before them was even more astonishing than the fog itself. At least, Mo Ran was genuinely startled by it in his previous life.

When the mist cleared, the once desolate and overgrown mountainside was nowhere to be seen.

In its place was an extensive and refined garden, filled with pavilions, terraces, water pavilions, winding corridors, artificial mountains, jade trees, and pebbled paths that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

At the sight of this place, Mo Ran immediately felt like rolling around in delight.

This was the illusory realm that the villainous brute had been obsessed with all day. In their previous life, they had also been lost within it. It was here that Mo Ran first met Shi Mo. Under the enchantment of the illusion, he had kissed the other for the very first - and only - time in his life.

Unfortunately, Shi Mo must have been deeply frightened, as he took advantage of Mo Ran's momentary lapse to turn and flee. The swan that had almost been caught was snatched away before he could savor it, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

After the illusion was dispelled, Shi Mo didn't hold the incident against him. That kiss in the illusory realm was as if it never happened, never mentioned by either of them. Sometimes, when he woke up from dreams in the middle of the night, Mo Ran would wonder if it had all been a product of his own deep obsession, a mere fantasy.

But whether it was a fantasy or not, Mo Ran licked his lips, resolving in his heart that he absolutely couldn't let Shi Mo escape so easily this time! He had to get his fill of kisses!

Author's Note: According to historical facts, Mo Ran would not have a courtesy name at this age. However, in this cultivation world, one would receive a courtesy name at fifteen during the coming-of-age ceremony. Because I really love the name Mo Weiyu and think it looks better than Mo Ran, I wanted it to appear earlier, hahaha.